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Article
Publication date: 4 February 2019

Denise Sekaquaptewa, Koji Takahashi, Janet Malley, Keith Herzog and Sara Bliss

Many university programs seek to promote faculty diversity by reducing biases in hiring processes. The purpose of this paper is to conduct two studies to test the individual- and…

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Abstract

Purpose

Many university programs seek to promote faculty diversity by reducing biases in hiring processes. The purpose of this paper is to conduct two studies to test the individual- and department-level impact of a faculty recruitment workshop (FRW) on faculty attitudes toward evidence-based, equitable hiring practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Study 1 included 1,188 faculty who had or had not attended an FRW. Respondents were surveyed about their attitudes and their intentions to use specific equitable search practices. The authors assessed the proportion of faculty in each department to test for the impact of department-level workshop attendance on individual faculty attitudes. Study 2 employed a similar design (with 468 faculty) and tested whether effects of workshop attendance are explained by changes in beliefs about social science research.

Findings

Faculty had more favorable attitudes toward equitable search strategies if they had attended a workshop or if they were in a department where more of their colleagues had. Workshop attendance also increased intentions to act on two of three recommendations measured, and led to greater belief in evidence-based descriptions of gender biases. Some evidence suggested that these beliefs mediated the influence of the FRW on attitudes.

Research limitations/implications

Because faculty were not randomly assigned to attend the workshop, no strong claims about causality are made.

Practical implications

The present studies demonstrate that an evidence-based recruitment workshop can lead faculty to adopt more favorable attitudes toward strategies that promote gender diversity in hiring.

Originality/value

These studies provide evidence of the role of belief in social science research evidence in explaining the effectiveness of a program designed to increase faculty diversity.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 38 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 1 August 2008

Denise Lewin Loyd, Judith B. White and Mary Kern

Research and theory on diversity in organizations tends to examine relations between the majority and minority and to overlook relations within the minority. In this chapter we…

Abstract

Research and theory on diversity in organizations tends to examine relations between the majority and minority and to overlook relations within the minority. In this chapter we explore the dynamics within a minority that represents a token percentage (less than 15%) of the larger group (Kanter, R. M. 1977b). We argue that members of a minority sub-group are subject to inter-group and intra-group pressures and that these pressures are greatest for a minority of two. We introduce the term “duo-status” to describe this two-token situation and examine the positive, neutral, and negative dynamics that result depending on the coping strategy chosen by each member of the duo.

Details

Diversity and Groups
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84855-053-7

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